


The Spider-Man Au No One But Me Asked For

by I_Swear_Its_Just_Me



Category: Andi Mack (TV), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Also for some reason there's no tag for tj that automatically pops up so like... what's up with that, Buffy and Andi Know, Cyrus and Buffy do ballet together, Cyrus's suit is not the typical spidey suit, F/F, F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, It's more like Gwen Stacy's than anything, Kippen siblings briefly mentioned, Kira's Last Name is Brock and she's Venom for plot purposes, M/M, Mentioned Amber (Andi Mack), Sweaters and leg warmers because spandex gets cold, Tags Are Hard, Tyrus Week 2019, Venom is more like hulk because reasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-07-12 18:09:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19950607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Swear_Its_Just_Me/pseuds/I_Swear_Its_Just_Me
Summary: this is also my contribution to Tyrus week lolthere is no way my lazy ass will be able to pump out content 7 days straight so I'm just hoping this will get y'all throughalthough I kinda like this au so maybe I'll turn it into a chaptered work later onSo... Cyrus is Spider-Man, the characters live in Queens because Spider-Man in the suburbs would be a lot less coolI dunno man it's 2 am and I've been working on this for like 3 hours so it might be crap





	1. Chapter 1

Cyrus Goodman, high school resident of New York City, was the Spider-Man. The 'Amazing' or 'Spectacular' Spider-Man. Sometimes called a menace by a particular newspaper, but mostly beloved by all.

Spider-Man is suave, amazing, and tough, performing dangerous feats no rational human being would ever dare to attempt.

Cyrus Goodman, however, is a clumsy, bookish, and sensitive 16-year-old Junior at Midtown High. He's got two best friends, Buffy Driscoll and Andi Mack, who are super close to him, and a super loving and supportive mom, though she doesn't know about his alter ego. He hasn't had any run-ins with bullies since Kira Brock tormented him in 8th and part of 9th grade after he came out, and he's been doing pretty good in his classes (even P.E.).

Andi and Buffy help him with his alter-ego. Andi designed the costume and made it, and she made sure to incorporate tech, provided by Cyrus himself. Buffy has been helping him stay in shape, even going as far as to join Jujitsu and ballet with him.

They're good friends. They stay up late to listen to each other's boy/girl rants and talk about emotions and the inevitability of death, and they fall asleep cuddled together after rom-coms and ice cream.

Crushes are always a fun topic. For Andi, it's been a pretty blonde in her art class named Andi, for Buffy it's been a cute brunet in their gym class named Marty, who can be a bit of an idiot sometimes. For Cyrus, it's been a dirty-blond, green-eyed jock in his history class. They'd partnered together a couple times over the years (mainly because neither Andi not Buffy were in the class, and TJ's friends were presumably absent during that period as well), and TJ had shown off that he was quite the history buff, always answering questions correctly even if it seemed like he wasn't paying attention, and his knowledge of Niccolò deep ran pretty far. He was funny, too, and his smile was a beautifully rare thing to behold.

Cyrus is daydreaming on the roof of a tall building, clad in his suit and a matching hand-knit sweater and leg-warmers. It's a crisp September day, with a breeze gently blowing around him, making his hood quiver gently around his face.

It's peaceful, the sounds of neighborhood kids squealing in delight and the far-off traffic serving as white noise while Cyrus thinks of sage green eyes and quiffed dark blond hair and a crooked smile that parted delicate pink lips.

Cyrus is (very rudely) brought out of his reverie by the sudden change from delighted squeals to horrified screaming. Cyrus stands up quickly, following the sound to a nearby park where it seems a game of basketball went awry. He stops one of the kids running from the park, and the girl, a blonde about his age, rattles off that there's a monster and that it's got her brother. He thanks her quickly before rushing onto the scene.

A big black, almost slimy looking monster has some boy pinned to the concrete of the basketball court, and it's growling something at the boy as he tries to squirm away.

"Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" He quips, before shooting a web at the basketball hoop and using it to propel a rather graceful kick to the monster's side. The monster screeches at him, and he notices that it's got teeth. Like razor-sharp, could probably bite through his SKUll, gigantic teeth.

It charges at him and he easily dodges. "Why, granny, what big teeth you have!" He says gleefully. He lands a rather solid kick to the creature's stomach, and it skids across the court and lies still for a moment. He takes this time to help the boy up.

Except, this isn't just any boy, it's TJ fucking Kippen. Just his luck. And he's bleeding.

"Well, that looks like a pretty nasty scratch." Cyrus points to TJ's forearm, which is pretty scraped up. Most of the scratches are barely skin deep, but there's one or two that are just a little deeper than that. TJ doesn't seem to have noticed anything that he's said, or his arm, and is dazedly staring into his eyes through the mask. Cyrus blushes a little under his mask, glad that he convinced Andi that a full-face mask was better than a domino-style one. He clears his throat, and TJ seems to finally snap out of his daze and immediately hisses at the pain in his arm.

"Ouch," TJ gingerly holds his arm, and his eyes seem to make contact with Cyrus's own through his mask... _Again._

"I thought you weren't interested, but it seems like you really _fell-_ " Cyrus's pun is cut short by him being launched across the park. Round 2, already? He manages to sling a web just in time to save him from a broken bone, only to rush back on the scene to find the monster and TJ gone.

"Damn it!" He yells and does a quick 360 to see if he can spot where the monster must have dragged TJ. No luck. He sighs, mentally preparing himself for a long night. He swings away from the park, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of disturbance.

He gives up about 20 minutes later and sits on a rooftop. He calls Buffy, and she picks up on the second ring.

"Hey, Buffy, is there anything on the news right now about a monster and TJ?"

_"TJ Kippen? What happened to him?"_

"The monster has a little crush on him, apparently."

_"Yeah, I'll check the news-HOLY SHIT."_

"What?" Cyrus asks worriedly.

_"IT'S KIRA!"_

"Buffy, I know you don't like her, but I think this is a little more important-"

_"No, you dumbass! The monster_ **_is Kira_ ** _! Part of the mask just disappeared for no reason, and it's Kira!"_

"WHAT?"

_"Yeah, and lover girl is roosting over Time's Square!"_

Cyrus says a quick goodbye, hangs up and stores his phone away before making his way to the mass of noise and lights that is Tme's Square.

By the time he gets there, it looks like Kira's spun some sort of giant web across the Square, and has trapped TJ in it. He's struggling against it, and Kira seems to be stalking towards him using the threads of the web to support her weight, like a spider with a juicy fly. He shivers at the analogy.

He snaps into focus, knowing now is not the time for creepy analogies. "Hey, the spider theme is a patented gig!" He yells indignantly. Her head shoots up in his direction, where he's stuck onto one of the many advertisement boards. He moves just in time to not get crushed, and she screams as the glass shatters and sparks fly.

"Leave us alone!" She screeches out, jumping after him, crushing yet another billboard. Whatever. It's not like he liked Reese's Peanut Butter Cups anyways.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but the honeymoon's over!" He flips up onto the web, trying not to wince. The web makes the weirdest noise when he steps on it, like halfway between a rubber band being snapped and someone squishing slime in their fist. He makes a run for it across the web, only for the part he's running on to be cut from underneath him.

"Hey, that's cheating!" He climbs up onto another piece and just barely avoids plummeting to his death as it, too, is cut from beneath him. A lightbulb flashes in his head, and he starts running around the web. Kira dumbly continues to cut her own web, and soon there's only one thread holding the three of them up, and Cyrus reaches TJ just in time to swing them both to safety.

Kira falls to the pavement, letting out a piercing screech on her way down.

He drops them to the ground and immediately runs to Kira.

"Shit, shit, shit! Please don't be dead, please don't be dead!" Whatever goop had previously covered her had receded, leaving just her. Cyrus checks her pulse and sighs in relief. She's alive.

Not more than 20 minutes later a dozen police cars and two ambulances show up. Kira's taken away, and one of the EMTs patches TJ's arm up. NYPD interviews Cyrus and TJ, grilling the both for details until it's been almost an hour since the event had actually happened. News reporters were still clambering at the crime scene tape, trying to get the 'inside scoop' for their newspaper. TJ looked panicked and overwhelmed, and Cyrus could relate. He managed to web them away from the scene before the reporters were able to swarm them.

Cyrus swings them away and into some relatively clean back alley and sets TJ down.

"Sorry, I need a break. That was a lot of effort."

TJ laughs a little, saying it's alright and leans against the wall. Cyrus walks up the wall and hangs from a nearby fire exit ladder.

"Well, she's got the hots for ya." Cyrus teases a little after a minute or two.

TJ shrugs, looking at his shoes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Cyrus says this in a softer tone. TJ frowns a little.

"She confessed her feelings for me, but I don't feel that way about her. Hell, I don't even know if I like girls! And then she just freaks out, and next thing I know, this whole thing happens, and now I feel worse than I did before!"

"Oh." Is all Cyrus says.

TJ sighs and buries his head in his hands. "And I don't even know why I'm telling _you_ this, I don't even know you!"

Cyrus doesn't know what to say, so he doesn't say anything. Just hangs lamely from the fire exit ladder.

TJ scrubs his face with a hand and sighs again. He looks at Cyrus hanging silently from the ladder, and he looks vulnerable. Much softer than before. And it would be a wonderful sight, if not for the frown pulled taut over his pretty features.

Cyrus doesn't like TJ being miserable, and desperately tries to lighten the mood. "I mean, if it makes you feel any better, I'm definitely not into chics, and New York still loves me!" Cyrus only succeeds in making TJ look absolutely shell shocked. And then he realizes that he just admitted he's _gay_ to his _crush._ As _Spider-Man_.

Cyrus laughs nervously, fighting back his reflex to _run_. TJ seems to snap out of it, then laughs heartily. "I suppose the leg warmers should've been a clue!"

Cyrus gasps in mock indignance. "I'll have you know they are very warm, and spandex gets _cold_ this time of year! Plus they were hand-made by a close friend, along with the sweater."

TJ laughs more, and Cyrus eventually joins in. When they sober up, they sit in comfortable silence for a moment, just _looking._ TJ gets this strange, but not unpleasant, look on his face. He's smiling softly, and his pretty green eyes are happy. He looks... Nice. Much better than before. _I did that,_ Cyrus absentmindedly thinks.

Their silence is broken by TJ. "Can I... Try something?"

"Something like what?" Cyrus tilts his head, and TJ looks a bit awkward.

"Just... Stop me if you don't like it, okay?"

"O-kaaaay." Cyrus says, drawing out the 'a' in his confusion.

TJ steps towards him and gently tugs his mask down. Cyrus grabs onto his wrist as a warning, which TJ seems to understand, as he just folds the mask over enough to show Cyrus's lips. Cyrus's heart is in his throat, and it seems like the world stops spinning as TJ connects their lips softly.

Cyrus doesn't respond right away and TJ starts to pull away, but Cyrus brings him back in again, cupping TJ's face with gloved hands. Their kiss is soft and sweet, and Cyrus immediately misses it once TJ steps back for air.

Cyrus drops down from the ladder, landing on his feet gracefully, and just smiles so wide _._ TJ likes that, apparently, and Cyrus finds himself wrapped in a big hug, TJ's arms around his waist. Cyrus wraps his arms around TJ's neck and hugs him back, and their lips find each other's again, and again, and again, like waves gently lapping against a sandy beach.

Cyrus is gently pressed against an alley wall, with TJ kissing him over and over, making his knees feel weak, and he kisses back and holds onto the blond as if his life depends on it. And it feels like it does. It's passionate and sweet and intimate, and Cyrus doesn't want to let go. But it's getting late, and Cyrus needs to get home.

Cyrus takes TJ home, and they kiss once more before parting, and then Cyrus is on his way home, feeling like he's on cloud 9. He slips through his window, letting out a little contented sigh.

"Cyrus Ryan Goodman! Where have you _been_? It's been two _hours_ since you took down Kira!" Buffy is standing by his door with her arms crossed, Andi next to her and standing identically.

"You know we always do patch-up after a major battle, and you've had us worried sick! We didn't know if you'd keeled over and died in an alley, or got mugged, or-"

"Buffy, Andi, I'm fine, really! More than fine, actually!"

Buffy looked unimpressed, and Andi's brow raised. "And what, pray tell, does that mean?" Andi spoke with a tone that was somewhere between curious and stern.

"Um, well, I stopped to rest with TJ after the fight, and we talked a little, and well..." Cyrus paused, trying to find a way to tell them without it seeming like ripping off a bandage.

"Well, what?"

"We... Kissed. A lot." The girls looked taken aback.

Buffy was the first to recover. "Let me get this straight, you've had us burning tracks in your floor for the past two _hours_ because you were busy _locking lips_ with _TJ Kippen."_

"Yes..." Cyrus hesitantly agreed.

"While I don't like being kept waiting and worried, now you gotta tell us everything about it!"

Andi squealed, jumping on his bed. "Our little baby is all grown up!"

"I resent that statement-"

"What was it like? Did you guys get frisky? Did you leave any marks?"

Buffy sat down on the edge of his bed and smacked Andi on the back of her head. "One: give the man some room to breathe, and two: I would hope that he would have more class than to get frisky in an alleyway. Are you sure you didn't step on a needle or anything?"

Cyrus rolled his eyes and took off his mask, going behind his changing screen and getting into more comfy clothes. He folds his costume and tucks it into his underwear drawer, where his mother wouldn't dare look, and sits on his bed next to the girls. He launches into the story, even talking about the jelly legs feeling and TJ just being absolutely perfect.

They fall asleep cuddled together, all of them absolutely happy. For different reasons, sure, but still downright gleeful.

  
  


**_ Spider-Man will return _ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Been working on this for a while. Sorry it took so long, but hopefully, it's long enough to make up for that.
> 
> CW: panic attack

TJ would like to say he slept easy that night, but he didn't.

Instead, he's currently sitting on the kitchen counter in sweatpants and no shirt eating Club crackers at 2 am.

He'd made out with New York City's resident web-slinger. New York City's resident _gay_ web-slinger. He didn't even know who Spider-Man was, and yet they'd locked lips in a back alley. And TJ had _liked_ it. He'd liked kissing the boy, a _lot._ And that was what _terrified_ him.

Because he liked a _boy._ And not just any boy, _Spider-Man._ A god damn vigilante who'd probably never spare him another glance, who probably had love-struck boys and girls falling at his feet everywhere he went (even if he might only be attracted to one of those genders). Who wore hand-made leg-warmers and a sweater that his friend made. That was so kind and sweet, and funny, and whose lips were soft and full and fit against TJ's like a sculptor had created the boy to be TJ's ultimate undoing.

TJ had to know who Spider-Man was. He had to.

Thelonious Jagger Kippen made himself a promise at 2:30 am in the middle of his kitchen, that he would find out who Spider-Man was.

ஓ๑♡๑ஓ

TJ woke up to his sister banging on his door, telling him that he'd be late for school if he didn't get up now. He looked at his alarm clock, which was flashing '12:00'. Damn. Power must've gone out while he was sleeping. He picked up his phone from beside the clock, and seeing that it was 7 am, he immediately sprung into action. School started in half an hour, and it took 15 minutes to get there.

He rushed to get dressed and packed his bag for the day. He managed to brush his teeth and eat a pop-tart before he was essentially running after Amber, who'd already left without him. She wasn't too far ahead, though.

Amber gave him a quick once-over, combing through his appearance with her eyes.

"I see you've decided not to use hair-gel."

TJ froze in his tracks. "Oh, fuck me! I can't go to school with my fluffy hair!"

Amber laughed at him. "Why not? I'm sure Spider-Man will think it's cute... Y'know, If he does go to our school."

TJ blinked dumbly and blushed a little. "What? How did you even...?"

"Thelonious, our rooms are right next to each other's, the walls are paper-thin, and you think out loud when you're stressed. How could I _not_ know? And I wanted a glass of water last night, but you were in the kitchen."

TJ started walking again, too embarrassed to uphold this conversation, especially in public.

"It's cute, you know. That you like him."

"Not now, Amber."

"There's nothing wrong with it, it's just a crush, right? And even if it weren't, there still wouldn't be anything wrong with it."

"Shut. Up. Now."

"Why?"

"We're in public. I really don't want to be outed to all our neighbors because you couldn't keep your fucking mouth shut."

Amber was quiet for a few moments, just walking beside him. He was grateful for the respite, but it seemed like she was thinking, and that was almost worse.

"I'll help you find him."

That wasn't at all what TJ was expecting. "What?"

"I'll help you find out who he is."

"Why?"

"Because you're my brother. I don't want you doing anything dumb without supervision. Besides, I want to know, too."

" _If_ we find out who he is... You won't... Tell anyone, right?"

"What? No! That would be awful of me. Especially if he's a teenager. High school's hard enough, I can't even imagine how he feels. I just wanna know so I can like, offer support, or something. Plus I wanna know who designed his suit because it's an absolute masterpiece!"

TJ laughed a little to himself. It was good to know that Amber would always have his back.

"No, but seriously, is my hair actually that bad?"

"You're incorrigible."

ஓ๑♡๑ஓ

Cyrus woke up with his limbs sore, and a couple limbs that didn't belong to him restricting his movement. He smiled to himself before carefully detaching himself from Andi's and Buffy's sleepy grip. They'd ended up staying the night, and their parents had brought clothes for them to change into for today.

Cyrus was well aware that he woke up a half-hour before the girls, and that they would probably maim him if he woke them up before their alarms went off, so he tiptoed while getting ready. He almost tripped over Andi's backpack--which she'd left in the middle of the floor--on his way to the bathroom. He finished up his morning routine and went back into his room to get a pair of socks. He was greeted by two grumpy teenage girls looking like they'd slept through a natural disaster.

The girls got ready for their day while Cyrus prepared them all bowls of cereal. He waited to add Andi's milk (she didn't like soggy cereal, but Buffy did) and poured the girls' cups of coffee. He couldn't drink coffee because it would make his anxiety unbearable, but he prepared some English breakfast tea for himself. Nothing like a boost of caffeine in the morning, right?

Andi and Buffy entered the kitchen about 10 minutes later, looking a little more awake than previously. Their faces lit up upon seeing the food and drink he'd set out for them, and they hugged him tightly, saying their thanks. Both of the girls wolfed down their cereal as if they hadn't had anything to eat in weeks, and Buffy chugged her coffee. Andi drank hers a little more slowly, enjoying her coffee while looking at Buffy in mild disdain. Cyrus carefully nursed his tea, already long done with his cereal, while laughing slightly to himself at the girls' antics.

He checked the time, commenting to the girls that they would head out in 5 minutes. Andi drank her coffee a little more hurriedly, while Buffy collected the used dishes and started washing them. Andi dried, and Cyrus put them away. The trio got their shoes on, and Cyrus grabbed his keys and backpack.

He started downstairs before the girls, knowing they'd lock the door behind them, and got in his car. I had been his dad's, but then he'd died, so Cyrus ended up keeping it. He started the car, warming it up while he waited.

The girls came down moments later, and Buffy hopped up front while Andi got in the back.

"Everyone buckled?"

"Yup."

"Yeah."

"Alrighty, let's go this trainwreck on the road."

"Cyrus, that doesn't even make sense."

"I'm aware, Buffy."

ஓ๑♡๑ஓ

TJ liked History class. A lot. But he hated math. A lot.

TJ mainly hated math because he couldn't understand anything on the paper. The numbers got all jumbled and he made frequent mistakes; he made so many mistakes, in fact, that he's actually on the verge of failing. Until today, apparently.

The bell rang, signaling the end of second period, and the class filed out. Mrs. Bush called for him to stay behind for a little. He groaned internally but stayed anyway.

"TJ, I think we need to talk about your work in my class."

TJ tensed up a little. "What about it?"

Mrs. Bush sighed. "TJ, you're a smart kid," she began. Always a promising starter. "But your last test really tanked your grade. TJ, you're failing my class. And I'm worried. Is there anything going on at home that I should know about?"

TJ would've rolled his eyes were it not for Mrs. Bush actually being a good teacher. Of course, she would ask about his home life. Teachers with failing students always did. How did he know? Experience. "No, ma'am."

"TJ, I'm going to assign you a tutor."

TJ froze. "A tutor? Why? I can get my grade back up on my own, I promise!" Before he knew it, he was panicking. What if it was someone he knew? What if the tutor told everyone in school about how stupid TJ really was? What would they think of him then?

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Mrs. Bush continued gently. "The person I have in mind is really sweet, I promise. Listen, come here after school and I'll introduce you two. If you hit it off, great! If not, there are other students who could tutor you."

TJ didn't want to tell her about how he didn't want the whole school knowing he was useless, but he bit his tongue, nodded curtly, and briskly walked to his next class.

He really needed something else to concentrate on. Good thing his third-period class, history, was his favorite, right?

ஓ๑♡๑ஓ

TJ sighed, packing up from his last class of the day. He trudged to Mrs. Bush's class, dragging his feet all the way. Once he was right outside the door, he shot Amber a text about being home a little later than usual.

**Me:**

Hey Ambs, I'm gonna be home a little later today. Mrs. Bush wants me to stay behind to meet someone. 😒

_**Ambs:** _

Rude. See u when you get home ig 🙁

**Me:**

Ok luh u shitface ❤

_**Ambs:**_

Yeah yeah luv u 2 asshole ❤

TJ felt a little better, but not much. He sighed and pushed open the door, surprised to see a student already there and talking animatedly with Mrs. Bush about... Hexagons?

They stopped their conversation, and Mrs. Bush turned to him, smiling. "Hey TJ! I'd like you to meet Cyrus. Cyrus, TJ. TJ, Cyrus."

The boy looked at him and smiled shyly, and TJ felt his stomach drop. Cyrus was cute. Cyrus was absolutely _adorable._ TJ couldn't do this. He couldn't have someone this cute know how stupid he really is. Cyrus probably had tons of friends, and he'd probably tell all of them about the stupid basketball captain that he has to tutor.

TJ started breathing quickly, quicker than normal, and his heart rate skyrocketed. He couldn't do this. Cyrus would tell everyone, and they'd all hate him and he'd get kicked off the basketball team and he couldn't get kicked off the basketball team because basketball was the only thing he was good at and-

Cyrus was suddenly right in front of him, and his hands were on TJ's arms. He was kneeling on the ground, but, TJ realized with a start, so was he.

"TJ I'm going to need you to breathe. Breathe with me. In. Out. In. Out. In and out."

TJ couldn't, he couldn't do this-

"Come on TJ, you can do this. I believe in you."

Cyrus started breathing slowly. TJ tried breathing in sync with him, but it wasn't working, and he couldn't breathe-

TJ looked at Cyrus in a panic, and Cyrus was looking at him with concern and patience, and... Something else TJ couldn't quite place.

TJ stared into Cyrus's eyes, and Cyrus stared back. He continued with his slow breathing, and TJ started to calm down slowly. When TJ's heart rate finally reduced to something somewhat normal, he dropped his eyes and leaned forward into Cyrus. He leaned his head against Cyrus's shoulder, continuing to breathe in sync with him. Cyrus ran a soothing hand along his back.

About 10 minutes later, TJ was finally calm enough to not need Cyrus breathing with him. TJ sat back, immediately missing the warmth and solidity that Cyrus provided. Cyrus gave him a kind smile and handed him a water bottle, which TJ took with a small, quiet 'thanks.' He drank the water slowly, feeling absolutely drained.

"I'm... I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be. It happens to the best of us."

"I know... It's just... It's really embarrassing."

"You think that's embarrassing? I once threw up in my shoe after riding a carousel at Coney Island. In front of my then-crush." Cyrus shivered a little at the memory.

TJ looked dumbfounded for a solid three seconds, then burst into laughter. Cyrus joined in after a moment.

It was after their laughter died down and TJ wiped a couple tears from his eyes, that he noticed that Mrs. Bush was nowhere to be found. He inquired about this new development.

"Oh, she went to go grab an ice pack and some pain-killers, in case you had a headache or something afterward."

"Oh."

It was silent for a few moments, then TJ spoke up.

"You won't... You won't tell anyone about this, right? I really don't want anyone to know."

Cyrus looked sympathetic then and placed a warm, gentle hand on his arm. "I wouldn't dream of it."

TJ sighed a breath of relief at that.

Cyrus tilted his head a little and looked at TJ curiously. "Can I ask what led to you panicking so much?"

TJ froze. He couldn't tell him why. He couldn't tell him that he panicked because Cyrus was cute and he didn't want him to know how stupid he was. But he wanted to. And Cyrus felt... Safe. Familiar, almost. He made TJ want to tell him his deepest secrets, and it was rather unnerving.

"I um... I don't want to get tutoring."

"Oh. Can I ask why not?"

"I don't want someone I hardly know to tell the school how stupid I am, because people would think differently of me, and I can't... I... I really don't-God damn it, why is this so hard?"

Cyrus squeezed his arm, where his hand was still resting. It was like he understood.

"You're not stupid, TJ. You just need a little help with math, right? That's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone needs help in some aspects of their life. For me, I need help with stepping out of my comfort zone. My friends Buffy and Andi sometimes help with that. Thankfully, math is a little easier to help out with, right?"

"I... I guess."

"And your real friends won't think any different of you. You'll still be you, even if you have a little trouble with math, ok?" Cyrus said this with such fondness that, were it not for the fact that they barely knew each other, TJ might've kissed him. Not like that had really stopped him before, though.

Instead, he just smiled a little and said, "Okay."

Cyrus smiled again, and TJ could feel himself melting a little. "I like your hair by the way. It's usually gelled, right?"

"Uh... Yeah. Thanks."


End file.
